Querida familia,

"The miracle I want to share with you is from a lesson after an eating visit with a part member family. Carolina and Walter have 4 kids and 2 of them are baptized. Narda was baptized at the beginning of this month. We decided to share a Liahona message we found a few months ago and love. It is called“¿Cuánto valgo?” and talks about how Heavenly Father is the only one who can tell us what we are truly worth. Jesus Christ already decided that we are worth everything and paid the price; we have to choose whether we are going to accept His sacrifice and live accordingly or not. We focused the message on the oldest son, Julio, who is not a member, but is slowly progressing as his heart is softening. He was sitting across from me so I was able to look him in the eye and testify of the blessings that Heavenly Father has waiting for him if He will accept the Gospel in his life. I felt impressed to tell him Heavenly Father is waiting and he will be a leader and a missionary, if he wants to be. He smiled at that part :-) I testified that the time will come when he will need and remember the things that we have taught him. He may not remember our names or faces, but he will remember the power of our words and the things that he has felt. He said the closing prayer and asked that they would never forget what we taught them. I have faith and hope that one day I´ll get to see him dressed in white and then someday with a chapa (nametag) on.

Cristina is ready and on-track to be baptized this Saturday. She has her calendar every visit and the first thing she wants to tell us is that she has read and prayed! Being able to teach her makes my day and week so much better because she has the same ability that Hna Oslund does to change a situation and give energy to everyone.

We were able to visit lots of CRs this week and to work with the ward council to start creating plans for each of them to keep progressing in the Gospel and make their next covenant with Heavenly Father, usually getting to the Temple.

We had some great visits with Elijorson and he needs more time to decide 100% that he is ready to be baptized. But he is progressing and changing. We have decided that members in every visit and member friendships is key. And the members here are doing a great job fellowshipping him! It is wonderful to see. I feel so blessed to be here in Valencia and for all the miracles that we have been able to be a part of and to see. How great is the work of the Lord and how great that we have the privilege to be a part of it."

Wow, what to say...?haha I seem to be at a loss for words. Everyone sounds good and busy. Chloe-way to go on the Spelling Bee and the sports! Can´t wait to play with you and watch you play. I will yell for you extra loud...but in a nice way so I don´t get kicked out...yet.

Clecca-way to go on the Praxis Clark! I´m sure you did great...Sorry baby boy hasn´t come yet (that I know of, you could be at the hospital right now or already done...), but you´ll know why you had to wait some day. We continue praying for you here. Loved the Calissa story. You could always accept the Spanish influence from Connor and I and name the baby Pao Gasol Dalton-sounds like he´s going to be tall enough.haha

We have a full week planned of running around and saying goodbye and getting Cristina baptized. It will be hard, but Im trying to keep that perspective I need to function and focus on the goal. I can´t explain how excited and ready I am to see and hug and talk with everyone!!! It will be here soon enough. Thanks for all the prayers, support and love I am always receiving from you all. I´ll tell you all about it in person real soon :-)

I got my trunky papers today. If the flights are on time and everything, will Pte Polley be able to release me that night or will it be too late? What does he want to do? Whatever works and is the easiest.haha You know I worry about the details and things I can´t actually control! I´ll roll with whatever.

Hugs and kisses coming soon,

Hna Clarissa Dalton

This feels way too soon to be writing you again...but we have seen an amazing miracle since then!

"Our investigator, Elijorson, called and asked for a priesthood blessing because he is going through a difficult time. His daughter received a blessing when she was little and he heard the testimony of a member about the blessing he received that opened his heart to the missionaries and the gospel. The member that shared that experience was able to give him the blessing and he fasted to prepare. It was a sweet blessing and Elijorson stayed afterward for a ward activity and loved it. He called us later that night and asked us what he still needs to be taught in order to be baptized. Before this he kept saying that he wants to be baptized someday when he is 100% convinced. He came to church the next morning and stayed for a baptism afterward. He brought his calendar and wanted to know about the lessons we still have to teach and we scheduled out visits. He is planning to be baptized on Feb 2<sup>nd with another investigator named Cristina. It is always a testimony to me to see the power of the priesthood in action for those who have faith to work miracles.

Cristina is 12 years old and in a part member family. We had a visit with her Friday night and didn´t get there until REALLY late. She told us that her sisters were at sleepovers with friends and that she chose not to go because of how important our lesson was to her. I got choked up seeing the example that this youth is for me. She has an electric personality, but the gospel means so much to her and she takes it seriously. Would I have done that at her age? I love being able to cross paths with Heavenly Father´s chosen and elect.

We are focusing on visiting less actives and recent converts this week. It is an area that we need to improve upon from this past week.

We had a ward missionary activity last Saturday and the ward leaders that came are such examples to me. We had a spiritual thought in the Bishop´s office and then each took turns praying in a circle before we split up to go contact in the street and knock doors. The faith of the members here is incredible to me. They bring miracles to us every week."

CALEB--I am so excited for you!!! Is that the same mission as Brooke Shaw?! I can´t remember. I hope you have pics and videos. Did you freak out?! Ok, we have a month together. Start making plans.haha I already have a few in my head :-) I am so happy for you and proud of you.

Chloe--how is vball going? Are you hurt? I can´t wait to watch you play--vball, bball, anything.

I am going to try to attach some photos so this will be short. We are going rebajas shopping after this-it´s finally time to get all the clothes I want.muahahahaha Could be good or very bad, we all know me and shopping. Pray for Hna Oslund.

I love you all so much! Becca-we are praying for you and baby boy here in Spain!

¡Hasta luego!</sup>

Sorry I´m so late this week, just kind of describes me at the moment.haha Behind. Here are some miracles.

"There are 2 miracles that I want to share with you from this week. The first was Monday night when we were in Hospitalet and we were able to set up 4 visits in less than 5 minutes with an investigator and 3 recent converts, two of which have been having trouble getting to church because of their work and schedules. We had a very powerful lesson with Xavi. We couldn´t land on a lesson for him that felt right, so we decided to ask him what he wanted to learn from us and go from there. He had a question right away and asked how we can know/feel that we have really repented. Hna Oslund had a scripture that she shared and I was able to share another one and a personal experience. It was all what he needed and felt so good. The other 3 visits included a CR (recent convert), Ruby, who is having lots of family/work problems and cried when we called to come over. I felt like it was a boost she needed. Maria Rosa was so happy to see us and I really love her 7 year old son, Julian, who is preparing already to become a great missionary. He bore his testimony to us and made me cry. The last visit we fit in was with CR, Angela, who can no longer attend church because she is working interna and it is so hard for her. We had to talk in her doorway, but she said that she keeps reading and studying the manuals and scriptures and that she has felt a peace in her heart that Heavenly Father knows her and is ok with her situation right now. She was so happy that we haven´t forgotten about her and we set up a way for the Hnas to still be able to call and talk to her if they can´t visit. It was such an incredible night.

The other miracle was yesterday in our last visit. Hna Oslund had set up a visit with some youth in the ward who always come, but we found out that one sister, Cristina, isn´t baptized. We visited the grandmother awhile back, who is an active member and the Bishop asked us to visit the family because all the kids have gone inactive as they have married nonmembers, but the grandkids all like to come. Both sets of Hnas thought that the other set was teaching her!ha But Hna Oslund set up this visit and it was exactly where we needed to be. The family was so excited to have us and to read together and hopefully we can help them come back. The daughter mentioned that she wasn´t baptized, so I asked her if she wanted to and she said yes. So I asked her when and she asked when she could and if that was ok. I was almost at a loss for words at how excited she was and really wants to and has just been waiting for someone to invite her. We helped her set up a calendar for the 2<sup>ndof February and she was beaming all night. When her Dad drove us all home, she told him 3 different times that she was getting baptized :-) Maybe he will be baptized then, too!"

It was so AMAZING to be back in Hospitalet for one night and to visit so many people, especially Xavi. I feel like he is so close to baptism and at a key moment in his life. Jonathan, the ward mission leader´s son who helped us a lot, helped us with Xavi and is getting ready to turn in his mission papers :-) It all made me so happy.

The Hnas Conf was...incredible. There just isn´t time to tell you everything. I had 15 minutes to speak about what I´ve learned on my mission and what has meant the most to me--I shared my thoughts on prayers and how making Heavenly Father my best friend has changed me and missionary work. I also got to translate for the last few hours on Tuesday and it was really fun. I don´t think I did a great job technically speaking, but I put some personality in there and had a lot of laughs.ahaha It was one of those moments that I got to sit back for a second and realize that I was really comfortable with the language.

Ummm, I´ve had a few more health challengs as of late, but that just seems to be my lot at this point in my mission/life. I was doing fine, though and seemed to have things under control for the moment. I got a letter from the Thompson´s that has put a smile on my face and warmed my heart. Can´t wait to talk to them in person!

All the plans sound great. I am praying for Clecca´s baby to come this week. We hit a cold spell here and in Barç and I´m still trying to feel my toes.ahaha Gotta love it. It is finally rebajas and I am looking for a good peacoat...and a lot of other clothing articles.muahahaha Oh dear.

Love you all and thanks for the prayers and emails. Keep smiling!!!

Love,

Hna Clarissa Dalton</sup>

Salutations,

"Before I give you the miracle story, I have to back it up. We are making knocking doors more of a focus, like we get it in whenever possible even there is something else to do or not a lot of time or just normal missionary life things getting in the way. We have gotten one return cita from all of it, but as everyone else seems to be reporting, the blessings from obedience are flowing in from other directions. Oh, I give you permission to read this to Hna Pace if you would like. You´ll see why :-) We had our first Sunday of 9am church which is quite the feat to get 4 Hermanas to church that early with one shower at a time. But we did our best and after the first hour of church we were talking in the hallway when someone called to us and when we turned around, it was Rosalba! She was supposed to be in Colombia until mid-February, but had to come back early for residency issues. We did not get to see her before she left because she fired on us and then cancelled last minute on coming to the multi-stake conference, but she came to church for the first time in YEARS!!!!!!!! She said she felt like she needed to and told her son to drive her and she looked so good and was SO happy, as was everyone who saw her. It warmed my heart and was one of those moments that made me feel like, ok, we are doing something right and have been visiting the right people and the impressions we have been getting aren´t just from our heads. It was a miracle for me.

Also, Narda was baptized this week and she is so happy. Her Mom hugged me after the service and told me in english (she likes to practice with us, or tell us things she doesn´t want other people to hear!haha) “I am so happy right now. We just have two more sons left.” I think Narda´s baptism and strength will be a turning point for her 2 remaining brothers who are not quite ready yet. It is amazing to see how Heavenly Father guides each step and this family is on it´s way to becoming an eternal one. In my head sometimes it seems tooooo slow, but if I can take a step back and think about the incredible, miraculous things that have happened for them suddenly this past year, things are moving right along on the Lord´s time.

 

Elijorson was able to come to Narda´s baptism because the Bishop went and picked him up. He talks about baptism all the time, but just isn´t ready to set a date and we haven´t been able to figure out why yet. He also doesn´t know how he can get to church because he lives so far away and doesn´t have any money or a job. We are trying to find members with cars who can bring him. We, well I, just need to have patience--story of my life."

The 6th is the BIG holiday here, bigger than Christmas--celebrating the 3 Kings who come and give gifts. Lots of members were upet that it fell on a Sunday, AND that it was our first Sunday on the new schedule--9am. Ouch. Rough for us with 4 Hnas. But it is to get ready for the 3rd ward they are creating at the end of the month and the hours of 2-4pm are sacred mediodía time so no church. Ridiculous, but that´s life. So wards will start at 9, 11 and 3.

We just got back from visiting the HUGE castle in a pueblo called Xátiva...but the joke was on us--it was closed. But it was a good hike and we made it fun. Pics attached.

We have interviews with Pte tomorrow and I am excited. Also, we are having an Hnas Conf in Barç on the 14th-15th so that will be new and exciting and crazy. I don´t think Spain can handle all of us in Barç at the same time...

I don´t know what else to say except that it is weird to be here and now in the mission and kind of indescribable...might not be a real word. I didn't expect it to feel like this and days are flying by and so much is happening and I´m here and a part of it, but not, like I´m a 3rd party observer at times and watching a familiar movie on fast forward. But I am enjoying every minute and trying to take it all in.

Happy New Year´s everyone and what a great year it will be!!!!!!!

Connor and Caleb--take it easy with the meds and don´t drive Mom crazy.ahahaha I wish I was there. Keep sending the pics, I love to see what you are up to.

Hey Mom, any chance of the Christmas tree staying up until, oh--you know--Feb. 7?!  hahaha  Love you all so much and thanks for the emails and love.

-Hna Clarissa Dalton

¡feliz navidad y prospero año nuevo!

"We received a wonderful Christmas miracle this week from a referral. We hunted down the referral in a pueblo. His name is Elijorgson and he is from the Dominican Republic. He is catholic, but feels like something is missing. He met the missionaries in Santa Domingo and they invited him to be baptized, but he just didn´t do it at that time and feels like he should have. He got online and looked up the church and asked for the missionaries. It was such a good lesson and the Spirit was strong. As a missionary, you live for moments like that :-)  Our recent converts, Obion and Tony, brought their friend Caroline to church this week and she brought her son. She really liked it and is opening up to us more each time.

Narda is going to baptized this week, but her brother Walter still wants to wait. He talks about receiving the priesthood and knows all the answers, but for some reason is holding back. His father might have scared him a little bit about having to be 100% sure before he should be baptized. We shall see, but I´m sure he will realize he wants to be baptized soon.

Also, we have talked to our bishopric about having missionary-themed firesides once every 3 months and they love it. We want to invite Pte. and Hna Pace to come give the first one. I think it would be really good for the members here, especially because the 3^rd ward will be relatively new and it would be wonderful to have missionary work as a foundation from the beginning.

Obispo Ciriac and the ward leaders here are INCREDIBLE with missionary work. This Sunday, for the first hour of the block, they had everyone together and they read OUR ward mission plan and talked about how to implement it, including one Saturday morning each month for everyone to meet at the church and then go contacting with us. Their attitudes make ALL the difference."

What else to say...oh, not so good. This Sunday was our last Sunday on our 10am schedule. Because of the new ward, next week we start at...9am. I think I may cry. We will have to get up super early to even catch a metro/bus to get there on time. Woof. Oh well, we shoulder on. (Not so excited for grumpy bear Hna Oslund though. She´s such a morning person!)

Connor- I found a scripture for you, I wish I had found it over a year ago, but we can just pretend, right? Romans 15:24. I drew in a Spanish flag :-)

It was SO good to talk to and see everyone. Hna Oslund wants to know how her initial impression went over so please send commentaries.ahahahaha  She cracks me up. And no worries Mom, she gets the voice thing all the time. I would have given ya´ll a heads up, but I have been around her so long I didn´t remember.

I...always blank out when I sit down to write now. Darn.

Tonight the church building is open after 9pm and I think until like 7 or 8 in the morning for New Year´s so we are going there until we have to go back to piso. I want to do the 12 uvas (grapes) at midnight, so excited. Connor can explain. What are your plans? Hey, last year I came up with this idea from Alma 22:18 to follow the example of King Lamoni´s Father and start giving up some weaknesses/sins every year. Starting small, of course. One at a time. I mean, we obsess about what gifts to give our family, friends, significant others, etc...but how much time do we think about what we can give to the Lord? Do we even give Him a gift? He who has given everything for us and continues to do so daily...I wrote the scripture on an envelope and inside what I wanted to change/give up for 2012. We shared this lesson with the members in SanSebastian and we did it again this year. I loved opening that 2011 envelope up again and really seeing the difference in myself. I still have a loooong way to go, but I´m further along than I was then and progress is the real measure of who we are. So the question is...what will you give to your Heavenly Father this year...?

Welp, gotta run. I miss you all and am happy that you are happy.

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

-Hna Clarissa Dalton

Merry Christmas Everybody!

"Miracle:We had to go to do my huellas (fingerprints for residency) this week and here in Valencia you have to go wait in line to get a number and they only hand out 120 numbers each day. People start lining up the night before! We went very early and spent basically the whole day there. I prayed the night before to be able to talk to someone or make the day useful. I was in line behind a woman named Carmen with whom I started a conversation. We chatted and got numbers and were told to come back in a few hours. Before we separated, I gave her a pass-along card and my companion had a Libro de Mormón for her. She said she had to work and would not be able to come back for the afternoon...but when we went back, she was there! She came up and said that she had gotten off work and got there early and started reading. She said that she usually can´t read and pay attention if there are distractions, but it was different with this book. She loved it and had some questions! We talked and she told me that she knew about missionaries in Bolivia and that it was NOT a coincidence that we met and talked and gave her that book. She is excited to come to church and gave us her number and address. I felt Heavenly Father´s love for her and that we were in the right place at the right time doing the right thing to help one of His daughters find what she has always been searching for but never knew.

Tony was baptized this week! Obion´s husband, so now they are both recent converts. Obion could not come this week because she was out of the city, but Tony still came by himself to receive the Holy Ghost. I can see such a change in him and it makes me so happy!

We had a really good visit with a recent convert, Alex, who has gone through a rough couple of months, but we were able to connect with him through the Book of Mormon and help him see that if we are willing to read it every day, it will help us with every other aspect of our lives.

We shared a lesson I came up with last Christmas in SanSe thinking about what we can give to Heavenly Father as a gift every year--through our weaknesses and character flaws--using Alma 22:18. José and Yannina really liked it and are going to take our challenge to give some weakness up this year and every year. They are amazing!"

OK, so we will "see" each other tomorrow!haha I´m so excited. We had dinner today with Yannina and José. I love them so much, it was lots of fun. 

See you tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Hna Clarissa Dalton

Smile! Life is good.

"The biggest miracle is that Tony was baptized even though I was next to useless and stuck in piso/bed most of the week. I guess that is how I am learning over and over again that this work is Heavenly Father´s and it will go forward with or without us-thankfully. We can decide to be a part of it or not. Obion, Tony´s wife, gave a testimony about baptism and especially how it was Hna Oslund who “touched Tony´s heart” and helped him open up to the gospel and it´s true.

I have been reading back through my mission journals and I want to focus more on trying to do the little things-for other people-this makes me feel better and lets them know that I love them.

The magic is back. I hit a rough couple of weeks healthwise and was worried, but that happy-for-no-reason-being-on-the-mission-is-magical feeling is back :-) I was afraid I wouldn´t get it back. Thanks for your help and prayers and not giving up on me or making me feel like I was letting anyone down-I do that pretty well on my own. I love you all and have never been happier to be here."

Thank you all for the prayers, fasting, mental hugs and everything. They made all the difference.

Someday I´ll give you the long version if you´d like, but the reader´s digest version is that after 2 hospital Urgent Care visits, being poked and prodded in BOTH arms so that I look like a heroin addict...I woke up thinking about Nephi. 1 Nephi 3-4, going to get the plates. Plan 1-fail. Plan 2-fail. Opposition, brothers beat him, etc. How can things get worse?! What´s the answer?-"do it my way." The angel says go back and he is led by the Spirit not knowing beforehand what to do. OK, so I had been trying to do things my way and hitting wall after wall and was frustrated. So I decided to pray and then do whatever came. So the crux of the matter was I had been having a back-of-the-mind nagging feeling of just going to a farmacia and asking about birth control pills. It was the option I was not willing to consider....so we remembered that we were in Europe and you can get most anything over the counter. So we pulled some strings, found the ingredients that I recognized and got what I needed. And it was the right answer. It´s not what I wanted, but it is what I need right now. And it has made all the difference and should hold me over until we can figure things out in February when I get home.

Tony was baptized! It was a small affair--he didn´t want a lot of people there, but I almost liked it better than other baptisms I have been a part of. We didn´t get a lot of visits in this week, but we got the essentials done.

Ok, Christmas! When are we going to talk?! The day before is preparation day, so we can get the last minute stuff organized. We really can do whenever, I was thinking in the morning for you...? Like 10am-ish. That would be 6pm for me, right? What do you think? Oh, and is there any way to use a different webcam? The home one is really hard to hear what anyone says unless they are directly in front of it...the ipad maybe? Just thinking.

OHHHHHH! I FORGOT-transfers!...Hna Goodman is training, but Hna Oslund and I aren´t changing :-))))))))) So my mission comps will officially be my trainer, my trainees and Hna Oslund.haha I couldn´t be happier. Heavenly Father knows. He always know exactly what we need.

Back to Christmas, will you sing me a song? A Christmas song as a family? I´d love that :-))) And Hna Oslund wants to talk to and meet everybody (ya i do) .haha should be fun. Let me know! I should be back on email at the end of the week for the informe.

Sorry this is crazy and disorganized. I´m still recovering my brain.

Love you all!

Hna Dalton